


When the sea calls my name (I fear I cannot swim)

by ashley_snyder92



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Mermaid/siren AU, Olicity Summer Sizzle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-05-31 09:30:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19423216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashley_snyder92/pseuds/ashley_snyder92
Summary: When Oliver Queen is kissed by strange blonde woman in the bay he never thought it would change his life.Boy was he wrong.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the Olicity Summer Sizzle and my first fic ever! Let me know what you think!

Lights from the pier dotted the dark waters of the Starling City Bay. They stretched out to where the pier met the water and from that spot past the lights all that could be seen was darkness. Inky black skies met waters that matched. The railing that protected sightseers from the drop surrounded the entire pier. Perched there was Oliver Queen. After his return from the island he found himself at this pier most nights; just sitting there as time gave way from night to early morning, only returning to Queen Manor when he was exhausted enough to sleep for a few hours. The waters that frightened him so much the night the Gambit went down, seemed to captivate him now that he was safe on familiar shores. 

At night it was quiet enough that he could finally think past all the buzz of him coming home. During the day he held every mask in place; dutiful son, loving brother, budding CEO, but after being stranded for years on a deserted island, Oliver Queen felt unrecognizable. 

He didn’t feel like the boy who left with his father, but he also wasn’t this man that he was portraying to the city, to his family. Following in his father’s footsteps to honor his memory didn’t feel right, at least not this way. There was something greater out there for him but he wasn’t sure what that was. One thing he knew for sure was he was meant to be at this pier, but he couldn’t fathom why this decision felt right. Every night he didn’t, he dreamt of sitting in this spot and blue eyes would appear at the horizon and pull him closer. 

It left him confused in the morning, that’s for sure. 

So here he stood just staring into the night sky. Oliver gave a glance around making sure no one was there. He threw his leg up and over the edge of the railing and climbed up to sit on the top tier. His legs dangled over the edge while he let his mind go blank. The rhythmic lapping of water against the shoreline created an eerie soundtrack to the night. 

A splash to his left caused him to startle. He turned to look but his left hand missed the railing as he swiveled. Balance lost, Oliver fell towards the water. Everything was happening so fast and yet his mind worked overtime to catalogue each moment. He was falling, but as he fell his eyes focused on a flash of red. It darted beneath the surface just before he broke through the water. 

Sputtering as he surfaced, Oliver quickly started to swim to the shore when a voice sounded over the sound of his splashing. He spotted a figure hiding behind one of the pillars. “Hey? Hey! Was that you? You shou-“ His voice trailed off as a beautiful blonde peaked from behind. The water covered her up to her shoulders, she seemed to be treading water. “You shouldn’t be out here in the water like this.” 

Oliver saw her lips moving and, not that he could explain it, he felt himself being pulled towards her. He heard the most hauntingly beautiful sound come from her. Kicking his legs out behind him, Oliver started to swim towards her.

She watched him with the saddest expression. Someone like her shouldn’t be so sad. Her eyes spoke volumes of regret and her voice wobbled like she was close to tears. The only thought filling his head was that he needed to get to her, but the closer he swam, the further she seemed to be. Distance seemed to grow between them. His muscles ached with effort as he swam even harder. 

The music in his ears stopped. Dizzily, Oliver looked around for the woman in the water only to realize that he couldn’t see the shore anymore. He shook his head to clear the confusion and get his wits about him before the panic had a chance to set in. 

The woman appeared in front of about an arms length away and the haunting melody fell from his lips again. The water between them carried the music to him and washed over him like a caress of a lover. He could feel his body responding to the blonde in front of him. His worries about swimming back to shore vanished. She reached for him with tears streaming down her face. Soft hands with pointed nails traced his cheek as the siren pulled him against her. One hand cupped the back of his head while the other held his jaw. 

“Forgive me.” 

Suddenly her lips were on his. He returned her kiss in earnest as she moved her hands to rest on his shoulders. Oliver never noticed that he was falling beneath the surface of the bay waters. All he could focus on was the feel of this woman’s lips against his own, until he went to pull away to take a breath. 

A strong hand returned to the back of his head to hold him in place. His eyes opened to see icy blue eyes staring back and nothing but black surrounding him, just like his dream. He separated just enough from the enchantress to scream soundlessly. All that escaped from him was a stream of bubbles, as the last of his air capacity left his body. His lungs burned with his first inhale of water. He fought against the woman, but she just held on tighter as she dragged him down for the floor of the bay. Not even the blue of her eyes could be seen anymore as darkness engulfed him. 

The siren held the man’s body tightly to her. She prayed that this one would come back to her. Her people needed the prophecy to be more than just a myth. With each body she dragged below she lost a piece of herself to the Demon. Her hand went to the man’s chest and she waited, praying for the faint beat to return. Just when she kicked her tail fin to propel them to the surface the man took another breath. He struggled against her at first but then calmed when she caressed his cheek. 

The man was a Warrior. The stories weren’t just myth after all! 

Oliver blinked his eyes open and found himself cradled in the arms of the siren from before. She held a finger up to him and he felt himself pushing upward at an alarming rate. The pair broke the surface and light hands guided him to a large rock in the bay. His fingers scrambled for purchase on the rock, for anything that would help him to pull himself out of the water. The hands that pulled him down beneath the surface helped to boost him out onto solid ground. 

When he opened his mouth water gushed forward. For minutes he sat there vomiting water onto the rock. As water expelled from his lungs, each breath of air burned just as the water had going in. That devilish hand had returned against his back, this time coaxing him along with soft words of encouragement. 

“That’s it. Get all the water out. Breathe slowly. What’s your name, Warrior?” He looked up bewilderedly at her, but felt compelled to answer her. He’d answer any question she had, as long as she kept talking. He needed to hear her voice. Oliver feared he wouldn’t survive without it. 

“Oliver. Oliver Queen.” 

“You did so well Oliver. I’m so pleased you belong to the sea. We were beginning to lose all hope that we’d ever find another Warrior.” She continued to rub his back as she talked to him. 

“What are you?! You tried to kill me!” His voice was barely more than a rasp. God, his throat burned. How was he even alive right now? He felt like he’d been miles from the surface or shore. He remembered looking around and not even seeing the shore before she pulled him down. 

“I’m Felicity.” Her voice was normal now, it wasn’t that haunted humming that he enthralled him into deep like before. This woman- thing, pulled herself out of the water and onto the rock. He was knocked off kilter by her beauty . Blonde hair that shone under the moonlight, soft facial features, lips that begged to be kissed, and a red shimmering tail fin instead of legs. “I am a siren.” Her tail fin flicked and tossed water into the air. 

His eyes went wide and mouth gaped open, Oliver moved to pinch himself in the arm. “This is a dream. I’ve got to be dreaming. You don’t exist! There’s no such thing as mermaids or sirens or whatever you are!” 

Soft blue eyes turned icy and a hand wrapped around his throat. Not enough to choke him but definitely a warning, “Do not call me a Mermaid. Say it again and I’ll leave you stranded here, Warrior or not.” He nodded his consent and the firm hand went light and slid down to his chest. Her hand rested against his heart as if she were making sure his heart was still beating. 

“You keep saying that. Warrior. What do you mean by that?” She pulled away slightly and settled in to lie against the hard surface. 

“We’ve been looking a long time for humans like you. Warriors of the seas, humans who have been claimed by the water even though they continue to breathe and walk upon the shores above.” Felicity’s hands danced along the rough edges of the rock. Her voice spoke in a way that sounded like she was telling a story rather than telling him a fact. “A siren’s kiss can find the sea’s truest warriors and free our people from the deepest depths. Only then can we return to land and protect the souls at sea once more.” 

He didn’t point out the inconsistencies with her story. Siren’s were known for luring fishermen to their deaths, but here he was alive. “So.. what does that mean for me? Being claimed by the water?”

She looked at him curiously, her wet hair fell over one shoulder as she studied him. “Do you not remember your first death? Most don’t forget that time in their lives, especially if it was by the water.” The Gambit. She was talking about the Gambit going down and his near death experience. He’d nearly drowned when his father found him in the water and pulled him onto the life raft. “Most tend to stay away from the shoreline after that, which is why we call to them. We bring them back to their soul. Did you not feel lost on the pier before you fell in?” 

Oliver studied her now. How could it be that this woman knew what he was thinking when he had been perched on the railing? “Is that why I’ve been dreaming of you? You’ve been calling to me?” She nodded. There was a heaviness to her shoulders that hadn’t been there before. Then he remembered the increase in drownings recently. “I’m not the only one who heard your call.” 

“There are others who come as well, only the Warriors can survive our kiss.” 

A hand ran over his own face before he raised it to brush a lock of hair from her. “You asked me for forgiveness?”

“Long ago we used to protect those by shore and sea, now I’m usually a person’s demise. My eyes are the last thing they see before an eternity lost at sea. I didn’t know how much longer I could continue without finding a warrior. It’s been so long since we’ve started searching.” Oliver watched as she stared off into the distance as if she were years in the past rather than looking out into the water. He could see it in her eyes, the ache of a guilty conscious. It was a feeling he knew quite well. One that could consume a person, like it had definitely consumed him when his father took the life of his first mate only to turn the gun on himself afterwards. 

Surprising himself more than anyone, Oliver reached for her hand. “Felicity, I forgive you.” She smiled at him, it was weak but it was there and he knew it made a difference to her. “So, what war is occurring?” She blinked at him almost confused as to what he was asking her, almost as if she couldn’t believe he didn’t know. 

“Sirens have been enslaved for hundreds of years. Haven’t humans noticed? The waters have never been more dangerous to you all. Merlyn stole the heart of our queen, he’s had control of us ever since.” Absentmindedly Felicity stroked the shell necklace she wore. The name had Oliver furrowing his brow.

“Malcolm Merlyn? I thought you said it’s been hundreds of years?” 

“Yes, Malcolm Merlyn was a pirate in the 1500’s. Charming, but devious. Our Queen was helping his crew to avoid a dangerous storm, we hadn’t realized he’d seen our kind before. He coveted Rebecca and captured her in his nets. Merlyn was obsessed with power, he had steered his ship directly into the storm to garner her attention. He had Rebecca summon us all and then carved out her heart while we watched. There is a vial around his neck that holds her blood with that vial he controls us all.” 

Oliver didn’t know what to think. Pirates, merma- sirens, and underwater wars were the things of fairy tales. He used to read them to his sister Thea all the time when she was younger. The proof of these stories sat facing him on a rock in the middle of the sea. Hell, even experience proved this real. He’d drowned and lived through it. Though none of it made any sense, he couldn’t deny that it was very real. 

“What do you need me to do?”

“I need to return to the others and let them know you’ve been awakened. We need to find the others-“

“Others?”

“What army only fights with one warrior? The sirens can’t move against Merlyn until he’s separated from the vial. We’re stuck doing his bidding.” The siren gave a mighty sigh before she started to speak again. “You’ll notice some differences. You’ll be able to breathe underwater now and manipulate it. You’ll notice your physical ability will improve over time as well.” Felicity’s cheek’s pinked under his watchful gaze. He did get to kiss her and she was basically half naked beside him so he’d be lying if he didn’t notice that she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on. 

“How many of us have you found?” 

“You’re the first I’ve found, only a handful have been found. Merlyn has only found one of our warriors, our most recent. When he found out he killed Tommy and then tortured Laurel in front of all of us. She was the example of what would happen should we continue to look.” Felicity shivered, but Oliver had a hunch that it wasn’t because she was cold. The goosebumps on her arms were caused by a horrible memory. “How someone could kill their own flesh and blood is beyond me..” 

Oliver reared back, shocked didn’t describe what he was at the moment. “One of your warriors was Tommy Merlyn?” At her nod he blew out a breath. “Tommy Merlyn was my best friend. They told me his death was due to a mugging.” Around them the waters became choppier, the siren seemed to know that it was connected to Oliver. He felt her hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him. 

“Merlyn didn’t want us to try to save him so his death was beyond our reach. Oliver, take a deep breath. You need to calm down.” Her voice took on that haunting quality, he had no choice but to do as she asked. The whoosh in his ears stopped as his pulse rate slowed back down. She was doing something to him, that was for sure. 

“Cool trick, do I get to do that?” 

“Eventually, and only to a certain extent. Enhancement usually is more physical than anything else, as I explained before.” Felicity stiffened suddenly and placed a hand over her heart. She looked about before letting out a gasp of pain. Oliver placed a hand over hers.

“Are you okay?”

“I need to go now, and so should you. Don’t tell anyone what happened, Merlyn has eyes and ears all over.” Just as she was about to slide back into the water, Oliver stopped her. His grip on her hand tightened. 

“When will I see you again? What do I do?” 

Felicity placed her hand on his cheek, in an effort to soothe his fears. “I’ll call out to you again, it’ll be different this time since you’ve been awakened. Trust me, you’ll know. I really need to go, shore is that way.” She pointed in the direction behind him. “Be careful not to be seen.” Felicity slid off the rock and into the water. “Be safe Oliver, I’ll see you soon.”

With a spin, the siren dove into the sea, her tail fin curving until the fluke broke through the surface. She gave a short kick that propelled her deeper until her bright red fin was swallowed by the depth. Oliver blew out a breath and moved to stand on the rock. His entire life had changed in a night, but then again hadn’t it happened twice over before? It was something he should be used to by now. 

His arms swung forward and he dove into the water to swim to shore. Surprisingly it only took minutes before he was sensing a temperature difference in the bay. He took a look behind him as he walked out of the bay and onto the beach. The sun began rising on the city, throwing bright reds and oranges streaking through the sky. It was gorgeous, until Oliver remembered something his father told him. 

Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning. 

Felicity was right, something was coming.


	2. Two

Tiny feet pushed through sand to propel the young blonde forward to the others on the beach. She rushed forward to try and catch up to the other kids who were playing. The girl nearly stumbled as if she were getting used to walking, mirroring the movements of a toddler who occasionally still lost their balance. “Wait for me!” The others waved at her to catch up. 

“Come on! Come play!” 

The sun was warm against her skin and the dry sand was hot on her feet. She could hear the roar of the waves as they crashed against the shore. Nothing was better than playing with Jonas and Mia, their parents would bring them to the shore in the summertime each year. They’d grow faster than she would, her mom had explained that they were different. That she was different from all other kids, except Alena

She spent the next hour playing alongside the kids on the beach. They ran around, tagging each other and laughing when the “it” person was too close. The young girl looked out to the water and spotted her mother watching over all of the children playing on the beach. The older woman waved at her daughter and flicked her tail fin to splash in her direction. Giggles erupted from the daughter as she rushed to join the other kids again. 

Looking on with watchful eyes, the siren mother smiled fondly at the families on the beach. She loved her daughter more than life itself and she was joyful when Felicity was able to interact with the children of the town. There weren’t many siren children anymore, Felicity and Alena were the only young they had born recently. 

Donna’s blood hummed with urgency. She looked toward the beach and as she did Felicity’s youthful eyes met hers in confusion. Lithely, Donna raised her arm towards her daughter and waved her back in. Her daughter’s face fell as she realized she’d need to leave the others. The older siren hopped off the rock and swam towards the beach as Felicity said her goodbyes. 

She surfaced as the humming became louder and started ringing in her ears. Felicity stumbled as the sounds grew louder and fell. “Felicity! We must leave.” The girl scrambled to her feet and ran into the water. Once it was deep enough Felicity jumped into the waves and her legs morphed into the shiny fin. Donna reached her hands out as Felicity neared. In a practiced move Felicity wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and the two swim off into the deep, where Rebecca was summoning them. 

“Mama, what is that noise?”

“That is the calling. Queen Rebecca needs us to go to her. You must never ignore it. If she calls, we swim to her okay?” Donna looked over her shoulder to make sure her daughter understood. If they were being summoned the situation was dire, the young one needed to understand the significance. 

They surfaced from the waters and found all the others, but no Rebecca. Something was off but Donna didn’t want to alarm Felicity with any worries. The boat in the distance was fine, no wreckage or harm among their crew from what she could see. She saw it the drop of blood in the water that called them all there.

The clicking of boots could be heard as someone walked to the bow of the ship. A slender but strong looking man stood against the wall of the ship. “Greetings sirens! You now have a new master, I am that master.” 

“The sirens answer to no human,” Isla spoke up from beside her. “Where is our Queen?” The pirate reached below and lifted Rebecca, his hand gripped her hair tightly at the top of her scalp. Siren’s reacted in many manners some gasped while others cursed the man holding her hostage. He and his crew had roughed her up. Their queen stood there bloodied and broken in front of them. 

“Here is your queen, soon she’ll be nothing more than an empty vessel. Darhk, my blade!” An expectant hand met the hilt of a carving blade. 

Donna flipped Felicity round to the front and faced her away from the scene before them. “Whatever happens you do not turn around.” Her hand cupped the back of her daughter’s head so she couldn’t watch the scene that happened before them. 

The man struck Rebecca with his blade and proceeded to slice the skin around her heart. Her ribs were no match for the force he inflicted against her with his blade. The Siren Queen wasn’t alive anymore, she had screamed for the first several minutes before she silenced due to blood loss. 

Their people watched as this human man ripped out the heart of their leader. He cast her aside once he’d finished but ordered his men to collect her blood. Sharp eyes gazed upon them and he raised his fist toward them. “My name is Malcolm Merlyn. I am your new leader and you shall do my bidding.”

“We will never bow to a monster like you!” Isla yelled out the fury in her voice caused it to quake. Her eyes filmed over as she called upon her voice to summoned Merlyn into the water. He tipped a vial out into the open sea, only a drop touched the surface but they all knew what it was when the humming began. Isla was silenced and swam to the boat. 

Everyone watched in fear as she climbed up onto the deck of the ship. She stepped up to him and like a whip his hand shot out to grip her by the neck. His fingers dug into her skin. While she didn’t fight, she couldn’t, everyone could see the fear in her eyes. Slowly he spun her until his chest met her back, his arm created a band around her chest. Merlyn sliced her throat, thick red ribbons cascaded down his arm as. Isla bled out in front of them. “You shall all do my bidding. Let that be the example of the consequence when you disobey.” With that, Merlyn let go and their fallen sister fell over the edge and splashed into the water. Donna held Felicity even tighter to her. 

“Hoist the sail! We move now!” His bellow carried across the sea to them. 

Mera and Mina swam over to grab Isla to carry her back to the island. Their entire pod was shocked. Rebecca and Isla were gone. They were at the mercy of a mad man pirate captain. As they neared their home, ready to mourn their loss of their family, they were appalled to find that their fins wouldn’t shift to legs. 

Similar to that of a beached whale, they were now isolated from their village. Their homes would remain empty, their belongings lost to them. Merlyn didn’t just control their duty as sirens, he controlled them as individuals. They were bound to the water indefinitely unless he decided differently. 

Two young sirens glanced at one another and nodded. “Mama, come this way.” They swam around the island to an underwater cove, large enough to fit most of them. A wide mouth beneath the island cliff opened to a tide pool after a long tunnel. The tunneling had pocketing where rocks had been shifted or removed with the tide levels. “Some of the rocks are loosened, we can expand it to fit the others.” 

Felicity swam in further and showed her mother the tide pool and platform that was out of the water in the cave. Her and Alena had always been very curious but that trait normally would have found them in the thick of mischief. This time it was their pod’s savior. They had shelter from predators and a place to call home. It would take some hard work and adjusting but they could still have a safe haven.

Felicity somersaulted and followed the tunnel to the surface to call to the others. Their pod of twenty followed her beneath the surface and into the tide pool. Mera pulled the young girl close before pulling her daughter Alena to her as well. “You did well girls.” 

Mera perched next to Donna on the platform. “Rebecca was right. There was a change in the water and now we have no leader. That monster might control us but he is no leader of ours.” Donna wrapped an arm around Mera’s shoulders in comfort. 

“We will start the search as she instructed, but we cannot garner the attention of Merlyn while we do. We’ll find the Warrior captain and his squadron.”


End file.
